The accused has been charged under the National Security Act.
In a horrific incident, a drunk man has been caught on camera while urinating on a tribal man in Madhya Pradesh. A video of the act, which has gone viral, has also triggered a political row in the state because the man is allegedly linked to the BJP.
Even as Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan condemned the act and ordered that the man be charged under the stringent National Security Act, the opposition Congress has said the incident is proof of the atrocities being committed against tribals in Madhya Pradesh under the current dispensation.
In the video, Pravesh Shukla, who is allegedly the representative of Sidhi BJP MLA Kedarnath Shukla, can be seen smoking a cigarette while urinating on the sitting man's face, hair and neck. The incident took place in the district's Kubri village nine days ago and the video has now gone viral.
While a few photos have surfaced showing Pravesh with Kedarnath Shukla and Rewa BJP MLA and former minister Rajendra Shukla, the party has denied any association with him. "I know him because he is from my constituency, but he is not my representative or a BJP worker," said Kedarnath Shukla. A poster in which Pravesh claims to be Kedarnath Shukla's representative has also gone viral.
Police said Pravesh, who has been charged under the NSA and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, is on the run and teams have been formed to locate him.
"A viral video from Sidhi district has come to my notice... I have instructed the administration to arrest the culprit and take the strictest possible action and also invoke the National Security Act," Chief Minister Chouhan tweeted in Hindi
Hitting out at the state government, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief and former chief minister Kamal Nath said the incident has shamed the entire state.
"Such obscene and heinous acts against a member of the tribal community have no place in a civilised society. The man who committed the crime is said to be from the BJP," Mr Nath said.
"Madhya Pradesh is number one in atrocities against tribals and this incident has shamed the entire state. I demand that the chief minister ensures that the accused gets the strictest possible punishment and also that the atrocities against tribals come to an end," he added.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Rewa range) Mithilesh Shukla said, "The video is said to be from Kubri village. A case has been registered in Behari police station and teams have been formed to nab Pravesh Shukla."
"He has been charged under sections of the National Security Act, the SC/ST Act and Sections 294 (obscene act in a public place) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code," he added.
Possibly anticipating that the video will invite stern action against Pravesh, his uncle lodged a complaint with the local police in Sidhi on July 1, stating that Pravesh had been missing since June 29. In the complaint, the uncle says he apprehends that Pravesh might commit suicide as a fake video has been made by some people to get him implicated in a false case under the SC/ST Act.
The victim has also prepared an affidavit yesterday stating that the video is fake and had been filmed to get Pravesh implicated in a false case. Sources said the affidavit, which was allegedly prepared under pressure, has not been submitted anywhere yet.